I read this week that BG pays Fannin 6 figures a year. I know Miami has NIL for football, basketball, and perhaps other sports. Obviously, we don’t have the same money as P5 schools. Given our resources are somewhat more limited, here is my question. Going into next year, what players should we prioritize as far as NIL money? Here are my 5 for next year:
Reggie Virgil
Raion Strader
Eli Blakey
Javon Tracy
Will Jados
Who would you prioritize? Top 5.
I know other players will get NIL money as well. But who are your priority players.
Speaking of NIL (and it’s impacts), I note that Rashad Amos has a grand total of 9 carries for Ole Miss this entire season to date. What a terrible terrible decision for him to have left Miami.
Here’s something surprising: in my mind’s eye I see Amos as having a better year last year than Mozee did this year. But, when you actually compare the game to game stats, Mozee is well ahead of him. I think Amos had 1,075 yards last year and Mozee is currently at 1,025. The big difference is how many times Amos scored td’s which was a lot. Anyhow, no dig against Amos in any way. He was a real asset. Just very impressed how strong Mozee has come on.
The big thing with Amos was that he had a really good game at UMass but then had a lot of games with 40 or 50 yards until Brett’s injury. Then when the strategy changed with Aveon at QB, Amos became the bruising workhorse who punished defenses, so a lot of his yards and scores came in a shorter time period at crunch time in the conference race.
Keyon’s performance has been more consistent throughout the year. Plus his speed makes it far more likely to turn a 10-yard run into a home run.
I am quite glad that each guy has done his thing in the Red & White.
Assuming JiveHawk’s note in the other thread is correct about Miami’s NIL being spent hard this past offseason to retain our top players (and I have no reason to doubt him), I think it’s the perfect approach for a program like Miami. Reward the top performers who fit the culture and know the system before focusing on acquisitions, keeping a guy like Salopek is worth every penny and then some even if you’re able to get a decent replacement in the portal. It also explains why we may have been a bit flat-footed when the court ruling came down about double transfers, we might have spent our money/time keeping guys like Straider because there was no reason to think about Amos/Larvadain.
Others to prioritize: Hondru, Dom Dzioban, Washington, Nank. These players are all very important pieces to Off/Def/ST.
The five you mentioned are all top priority guys that we absolutely need to return next season. Jados is vital to lead a new OL considering the losses to the position. Same answer on Nank. Reggie and Javon are very definitely P2/3 players and NFL prospects. Strader is a critical piece to DB’s. Blakey just continues to make plays.
There are others who deserve to receive NIL money. Hopefully, the fball boosters will be inclined to open up their check books a little more to maintain as many of our returnees as possible.
We only have 10 or 11 starters returning, so those are the guys I would target with NIL. The one good thing about losing a ton of senior starters is that we shouldn’t have too many guys get poached by P4 teams. Even if our backups are talented players, they likely wouldn’t be on another school’s radar yet.
Eh, we could upgrade that 5th spot. We appreciate your service and best of luck in your future endeavors. But be aware that MHT will be tracking your locations each week and we will shake our heads in disbelief when you suddenly end up sitting in the upper deck. Many times we will post “I hope Bash enjoys the money he received because he’s nowhere near McConaughey anymore.”
First Aveon, now Amos. If anyone wanted basically 100% of the offense from the winning side of last year’s MACC, that QB/RB combo could be paired together again.
Welcome! Thanks for the tip! I feel bad for Amos. Had he stayed he’d have played but that’s a tough life lesson: grass ain’t greener always, don’t go chasing waterfalls, gas, grass or ass, nobody rides for free. Pick your metaphor it’s all the same.